Legal Costs

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Solicitor-General who the 10 highest paid barristers were in respect of fees paid by  (a) the Treasury Solicitors and  (b) the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last three years; what the fee income was in each case for each year; and if he will make a statement.

Vera Baird: The information requested for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 in respect of fees paid by the Treasury Solicitor and the Crown Prosecution Service has been placed in the Library.

Sierra Leone: Palliative Care

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial support his Department has provided for palliative care in Sierra Leone in the last three years; what such support is planned for the future; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has not provided financial support for palliative care in Sierra Leone within the last three years. DFID Sierra Leone has pledged £50 million over the next 10 years to strengthen basic health systems and is currently working on the design of a health programme.

Departments: Land

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what disposals her Department made of land in Hampshire in each year since 1997; and whether she required any of the land to be used for social housing.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport was formed in 2002 and since that date has disposed of the following plots of land in Hampshire:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002 4 plots sold 
			 2003 0 plots sold 
			 2004 4 plots sold 
			 2005 8 plots sold 
			 2006 6 plots sold 
			 2007 (as at 17 April) 1 
		
	
	It is the responsibility of local planning authorities to identify and release land for housing as part of the planning process. This means that the requirement for the provision of social housing will need to be negotiated and agreed with the local planning authority. The Government have implemented a number of initiatives to assist with land supply for housing. A Register of Surplus Public Sector Land held by central Government bodies has been established. English Partnerships review the sites on the register to identify those which could have the potential for housing development. As at June 2007 there were over 700 sites on the register. Sites are continually being added as they are identified as surplus by landowners and removed once expressions of interest are received after a site has been marketed.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Defence Export Services Organisation.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 13W.

Firearms: Crime

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people under the age of 21 have been charged with firearms offences in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Information on charges brought by the police are only held by the police themselves and not reported to the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.
	However, data on cases brought to court is collected, and information on the number of persons under 21 years of age proceeded against for firearms offences in England and Wales for the years 2001-05 is provided in the table.
	Data for 2006 will be available in the autumn.
	
		
			  Number of persons aged under 21 years proceeded against at magistrates courts for firearms offences, England and Wales 2001-05( 1,2,3) 
			   Number proceeded against 
			 2001 1,193 
			 2002 1,014 
			 2003 959 
			 2004 1,273 
			 2005 1,444 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) See the following offence table for offences used. 
		
	
	
		
			   Offence 
			  Indictable firearms offences  
			 514-516 Possession of firearms with intent to endanger life or injure property 
			 517-519 Using firearms with intent to resist arrest 
			 813-815 Possessing firearms at time of committing, or being arrested for, an offence 
			 816-818 Possessing firearms with intent to commit an indictable offence or resist arrest 
			 823-825 Possessing firearms with intent to cause fear of violence 
			 8103 Possessing firearms or ammunition without certificate (Section 1)((2)) 
			 8115 Shortening a shot gun 
			 8104 Possessing shot gun without certificate 
			 8109-8110 Selling firearms to person without a certificate 
			 8117 Possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition 
			 8126-8127 Carrying loaded firearm in public place 
			 8135-8137 Possession of firearms by persons previously convicted of crime 
			 8170 Possessing or distributing prohibited weapons designed for discharge of noxious liquid etc.((2)) 
			 other81 Other indictable offence 
			   
			  Summary firearms offences  
			 11504 Non-compliance with condition of firearms certificate (Section 1)((3)) 
			 11528 Carrying air weapon or imitation weapon in public place((4)) 
			 11532-11534 Trespassing with firearm on land 
			 11541-11543 Person under 17 acquiring firearm subject to control under Section 1 
			 11559-11560 Making false statement in order to procure grant or renewal of firearm or shot gun certificate 
			 11506 Non-compliance with condition of shot gun certificate 
			 11546 Person under 14 having an air weapon or ammunition 
			 11547 Person under 17 having an air weapon in a public place 
			 other 115 + 14103 Other summary firearms offence

Foreign Workers: Health Professions

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data was used to make statements in the Race Equality Impact Assessment on the changes in immigration rules for postgraduate doctors and dentists, where that data is not provided within the assessment itself.

Jacqui Smith: The Race Equality Impact Assessment on the changes in the immigration rules for postgraduate doctors and dentists drew upon management information provided by Work Permits (UK) and discussions with the Department for Health on the increasing competition for training programmes.

Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken following the meeting with the National Farmers' Union about the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme on 2 May 2007.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 23 July 2007
	I met with Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health, on 15 May 2007 and we are arranging a further meeting with operators and the National Farmers Union to discuss the scheme.

Floods: Warnings

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to review the flood warning system.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced a Lessons Learned exercise on the summer flooding on 12 July. Any lessons about the operation of the operation of the flood warning system will be picked up as part of that exercise.
	Under the Government's Making space for water strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management, the technical feasibility of extending warnings to include other types of flooding than from rivers or the sea is currently under study.

Fly Tipping: East of England

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 82W, on flytipping: East of England, how many incidents of flytipping were reported in each local authority in the UK in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06; what the estimated cost was of dealing with incidents of flytipping; and how many (i) prosecutions and (ii) successful prosecutions there were for flytipping in each local authority in the UK in each year.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Flycapture database, which was set up in 2004 by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association, records the number of fly-tipping incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency and local authorities and the enforcement action taken. The Environment Agency deals only with larger scale fly-tipping incidents.
	As it is quite lengthy, I am arranging for a table showing the number of incidents and prosecutions recorded on Flycapture for 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 in England to be placed in the House Library.
	Data for 2006-2007 have not yet been finalised, but will be available in the summer.

Sports: National Lottery

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Lottery funding was provided to  (a) athletics,  (b) swimming and  (c) rowing in each year since 1998.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The amount of lottery funding provided to athletics, swimming and rowing in each year since 1998 is in the following table.
	
		
			  Lottery funding 
			  £ 
			   Athletics  Swimming  Rowing 
			 1998-99 3,045,016 15,791,917 1,790,466 
			 1099-2000 12,161,588 26,119,732 1,908,205 
			 2000-01 19,904,669 18,325,175 1,685,659 
			 2001-02 7,040,174 30,088,993 9,295,194 
			 2002-03 5,134,124 20,282,823 1,914,826 
			 2003-04 9,715,394 3,016,870 400,245 
			 2004-05 32,006,607 19,257,243 18,890,457 
			 2005-06 21,922,334 5,466,592 618,753 
			 2006-07 4,540,492 6,454,689 1,926,034

Council Housing: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many dwellings were  (a) constructed for private sale,  (b) built by housing associations and  (c) built by local authorities in (i) Eastbourne and (ii) East Sussex in each of the last 10 years.

Iain Wright: Figures for the number of private dwelling completions as reported by Eastbourne and East Sussex local authorities are presented in the tables:
	
		
			  Private new build completions, 1997-98 to 2006-07 
			   Eastbourne  East Sussex (including Eastbourne ) 
			 1997-98 73 512 
			 1998-99 132 1,215 
			 1999-2000 328 1,114 
			 2000-01 377 1,126 
			 2001-02 451 1,102 
			 2002-03 431 1,177 
			 2003-04 540 1,057 
			 2004-05 437 1,170 
			 2005-6 426 1,053 
			 2006-07 255 1,250 
			  Source: P2 new build return to CLG from local authorities and the national House Building Council. Figures for 1997-08 to 2000-01 are missing some monthly returns from local authorities. 
		
	
	Figures for 1997-98 to 2000-01 are missing some monthly returns from local authorities Figures for the number of new build affordable dwellings as reported by the Housing Corporation are presented below. These affordable figures include social rent and intermediate housing e.g. low cost home ownership
	
		
			  Affordable new build dwellings, 1997- 98 to  2006-07 
			   Eastbourne  E ast Sussex (including Eastbourne) 
			 1997-98 138 432 
			 1998-99 106 334 
			 1999-2000 3 59 
			 2000-01 47 169 
			 2001-02 32 141 
			 2002-03 27 127 
			 2003-04 39 226 
			 2004-05 — 64 
			 2005-06 42 100 
			 2006-07 n/a n/a 
			 n/a = not available  Source: Housing Corporation and local authority returns. 
		
	
	No reported local authority dwellings have been built in the last 10 years in Eastbourne and East Sussex.

Departments: Racial Harassment

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many complaints of racial abuse relating to staff for which her Department is responsible have been  (a) investigated and  (b) upheld in the last 12 months.

Iain Wright: There been no formal complaints of racial abuse relating to staff in the Department in the last 12 months.

Homelessness: Ex-servicemen

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many former UK armed forces service personnel in  (a) Leeds,  (b) West Yorkshire and  (c) England are estimated to be homeless.

Iain Wright: holding answer 23 July 2007
	 The Department does not have a comprehensive estimate of the number of former armed forces service personnel that are homeless, but it does collect information on statutory homelessness from local authorities (which cover some ex HM forces personnel).
	Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level, in respect of households rather than people.
	Information reported includes the number of households accepted by local authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty. The duty owed to an accepted household is to secure suitable accommodation.
	Based on information supplied by local authorities for 2006-07, around 50 households accepted as owed the main homelessness duty in England were in priority need primarily as a result of being vulnerable through having served in HM forces. Some authorities also report secondary priority need categories (when an household falls in to more than one priority need group), and there were an additional 40 households reported here. In total, this represents 0.1 per cent. of all acceptances in the year.
	In the same year, around 200 households accepted as owed the main homelessness duty cited the reason for loss of their last settled home as having left HM forces, representing 0.3 per cent. of acceptances.
	A table has been placed in the Library which shows the number of household acceptances who have (i) the primary and (ii) the secondary priority need of being vulnerable through having served in HM forces, and (iii) cited the reason for loss of last settled home as having left HM forces. The data are provided for all local authorities, including Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.
	It is important to note that many of those households with the HM forces priority need may also have the reason for loss of having left HM forces accommodation, and so there is likely to be some overlap between the two sets of figures.

Housing: Finance

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much housing funding was provided by the Government in each county of England in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The total housing funding for each county in the year 2005-06 is in the following table. Figures for other years can be obtained only at disproportionate cost owing to the complexity involved in compiling data on a county-wise basis across so many different funding programmes.
	Funding for housing comprises both direct investment and supported investment. Direct investment includes housing capital grants, Housing Corporation capital investment, housing market renewal funding, disabled facilities grants, transfer gap funding and Gypsy sites grants. Housing capital grants are not provided direct to counties but to districts councils.
	Supported investment includes housing revenue account (HRA) subsidy in the form of major repairs allowance, ALMOs supported borrowing allocations and LAs supported capital expenditure allocations.
	
		
			  Total government investment in housing 2005-06 
			  County  Total (£) 
			 Avon 61,059,286 
			 Bedfordshire 24,435,315 
			 Berkshire 45,431,667 
			 Buckinghamshire 49,043,888 
			 Cambridgeshire 37,218,319 
			 Cheshire 46,811,477 
			 Cleveland 25,568,908 
			 Cornwall 29,766,397 
			 Cumbria 24,486,059 
			 Derbyshire 75,691,163 
			 Devon 49,256,868 
			 Dorset 47,636,765 
			 Durham 46,988,587 
			 East Sussex 44,158,644 
			 Essex 143,657,206 
			 Gloucestershire 37,107,148 
			 Greater Manchester 427,493,162 
			 Hampshire 90,572,099 
			 Hereford and Worcester 32,429,370 
			 Hertfordshire 68,952,897 
			 Humberside 57,385,753 
			 Inner London 781,578,439 
			 Isle of Wight 10,472,631 
			 Kent 78,915,070 
			 Lancashire 133,873,129 
			 Leicestershire 63,339,544 
			 Lincolnshire 29,000,383 
			 Merseyside 139,616,618 
			 North Yorkshire 36,252,043 
			 Norfolk 42,314,655 
			 Northamptonshire 47,064,168 
			 Northumberland 33,402,565 
			 Nottinghamshire 84,136,970 
			 Outer London 749,483,158 
			 Oxfordshire 20,736,123 
			 South Yorkshire 281,113,551 
			 Shropshire 33,226,042 
			 Somerset 17,260,609 
			 Staffordshire 167,575,689 
			 Suffolk 18,680,395 
			 Surrey 61,525,233 
			 Tyne and Wear 118,352,732 
			 West Midlands 238,475,063 
			 West Yorkshire 278,699,223 
			 Warwickshire 21,557,294 
			 West Sussex 34,026,191 
			 Wiltshire 21,245,956

Housing: Hampshire

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in  (a) Romsey,  (b) Southampton and  (c) Hampshire are on waiting lists for social housing; and how many units of social housing have been built in (i) Romsey, (ii) Southampton and (iii) Hampshire since 1997.

Iain Wright: The constituency of Romsey covers most of Test Valley district council but also includes a small part of Eastleigh district council and Southampton city council. Information is not collected at the constituency level, only at local authority level and includes households rather than people.
	The number of households on the waiting list for social housing in  (a) local authorities covering the Romsey area (Test Valley, Eastleigh and Southampton)  (b) Southampton and  (c) Hampshire, as at 1 April each year since 1997, are presented in table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Households on the waiting list for social housing in (a) Romsey (Test Valley, Eastleigh and Southampton), (b) Southampton and (c) Hampshire 
			   Test Valley  Eastleigh  Southampton  Hampshire 
			 1997 1,873 967 2,329 15,341 
			 1998 1,768 1,169 3,902 17,144 
			 1999 1,723 1,200 3,699 19,127 
			 2000 1,611 1,361 4,522 22,070 
			 2001 1,440 1,481 5,148 22,634 
			 2002 1,645 1,623 5,811 24,071 
			 2003 2,189 3,424 6,697 24,558 
			 2004 2,092 4,446 8,128 28,635 
			 2005 2,698 4,515 9,225 30,357 
			 2006 2,885 5,014 11,126 32,361 
			  Note: As reported by local authorities.  Source: Communities and Local Government Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix return (HSSA) 
		
	
	These figures are also published on the Communities and Local Government website in table 600. The links for this table is given as follows:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=1163853
	Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house—particularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time.
	The numbers of social rent homes provided by local authorities and registered social landlords in  (a) local authorities covering the Romsey area (Test Valley, Eastleigh and Southampton)  (b) Southampton and  (c) Hampshire, since 1997 are presented in table 2 as follows. Homes are provided through new build as well as acquisitions. Figures are as reported by local authorities and the Housing Corporation.
	
		
			  Table 2: Numbers of social rent homes provided by local authorities and registered social landlords in (a) Romsey (Test Valley, Eastleigh and Southampton), (b) Southampton and (c) Hampshire 
			   Test Valley  Eastleigh  Southampton  Hampshire 
			 1996-97 142 87 167 1,998 
			 1997-98 57 177 229 1,645 
			 1998-99 68 137 266 1,561 
			 1999-2000 52 105 191 1,119 
			 2000-01 92 62 236 1,033 
			 2001-02 48 37 140 1,101 
			 2002-03 160 34 178 817 
			 2003-04 13 96 92 1,045 
			 2004-05 80 132 162 969 
			 2005-06 63 47 114 856 
			  Note: Figures shown represent our best estimate and may be subject to revisions.  Source: Housing Corporation and local authorities

Planning Permission: Appeals

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government within what period of time from a planning appeal being received the Planning Inspectorate is obliged to set a start date for the appeal.

Iain Wright: There is no statutory period, following receipt of a planning, for setting a starting date. However, when an appeal is received, and provided it is submitted within the time limit and contains all the essential documents listed in the appeal form, it typically takes the Planning Inspectorate five to seven working days to set the starting date.

Planning Permission: Cornwall

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications that have limited weeks per year occupancy as an incorporated feature have been approved in Cornwall in the last 10 years.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not held centrally.
	Communities and Local government collects quarterly aggregate statistics on development control from all local planning authorities in England. However, we do not collect information on individual planning applications.

Property Development: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of  (a) parkland and  (b) greenfield land has been developed in (i) Eastbourne and (ii) East Sussex in the last 10 years.

Iain Wright: Information on the percentage of "parkland" that has been developed in Eastbourne or East Sussex is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This is because central Government do not hold data on the stock of "parkland". The land use change statistics do not have a category which corresponds exactly to "parkland". The nearest category would be "outdoor recreation".
	Land use change statistics show the amount of land changing its use from "outdoor recreation" to previously-developed ("brownfield"), but this figure can only be compared against the overall amount of change or the total area of Eastbourne or East Sussex.
	The land use change statistics show that between 1996 and 2005:
	(i) 1.5 per cent. of the land changing its use in Eastbourne changed from "outdoor recreation" to a developed ("brownfield") use. This change is 0.1 per cent. of the total area of Eastbourne district.
	(ii) 0.7 per cent. of the land changing its use in East Sussex changed from "outdoor recreation" to a developed ("brownfield") use. This change is less than 0.1 per cent. of the total area of East Sussex.
	Information on the percentage of "greenfield" land that has been developed in Eastbourne or East Sussex is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This is because central Government do not hold data on the stock of "Greenfield" land.
	Land use change statistics show the amount of land changing its use from non previously-developed ("greenfield") to developed ("brownfield"), but this figure can only be compared against the overall amount of change or the total area of Eastbourne or East Sussex.
	Land use change statistics show that between 1996 and 2005:
	(i) 24.8 per cent. of land changing its use in Eastbourne changed from a non previously-developed ("greenfield") use to a previously-developed ("brownfield") use. This change is 1.4 per cent. of the total area of Eastbourne district,
	(ii) 13.1 per cent. of land changing its use in East Sussex changed from a non previously-developed ("greenfield") use to a previously-developed ("brownfield") use. This change is 0.4 per cent. of the total area of East Sussex.

Departments: Recruitment

Theresa May: To ask the Prime Minister how much his Office paid in fees to recruitment agencies for  (a) temporary and  (b) permanent staff in each year since 1997.

Gordon Brown: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Gillian Merron) today.

Police: Inquiries

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the Police Service Northern Ireland officer-time has been spent on historical inquiries in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The PSNI is committed to providing all material in its possession to assist the inquiries to carry out their legal obligations. To deliver on this commitment, the organisation has sought to maximise the role of PSNI support staff in order to maintain the operational effectiveness of its police officers. To achieve this, PSNI has committed resources to dedicated units and teams such as:
	Historic Enquiries Team (HET)
	Retrospective Murder review Unit (RMRU)
	Public Inquiry Unit (PIU)
	Stevens Enquiry Team
	Police Ombudsman (NI) liaison
	Murder Archive/Exhibit Store
	Rosemary Nelson Murder Inquiry team
	These units and teams currently employ 288 staff, the majority of whom are support staff. 19.5 PSNI officers have dedicated roles within these teams which interact directly with colleagues across the organisation on a regular basis.
	There is no straightforward way to establish the percentage of time spent on historical inquiries. Providing an accurate response to the question asked would entail disproportionate time and resources.

Junior Doctors

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of junior doctors who have not been successful in securing a training post for 1 August.

Alan Johnson: 14,7681 applicants in England were not successful in round 1. However, round 2 is ongoing and all applicants in substantive national health service employment will continue to have employment until 31 October. As most applicants are currently NHS employees and will still be needed in the NHS, most unsuccessful applicants should be able to find or return to a service post.
	For those appointable doctors who are not successful at the end of round 2 we have prepared an extra package of support which includes:
	about 1,000 extra one-year and GP training posts;
	access to career information via local Deaneries;
	a careers website for junior doctors; and
	educational grants.
	In this way, any junior doctor who has been judged to be appointable by an interview panel of senior doctors will have access to a training or educational opportunity next year.
	In addition, we are currently in discussions with Foundation Programme Directors and Deans to see what options might be available for Foundation Programme doctors who complete the programme but are unsuccessful in securing specialty training posts.
	We are also opening up discussions with the BMA, the Academy of Royal Colleges and other representatives of the medical profession to discuss whether there is any risk that high academic achievers may be missed by the end of the recruitment process and if so how we can avoid that happening.

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	We have carried out two Tackling Underage Sales of Alcohol Campaigns (the most recent of which included a 10-week operational phase which concluded on 13 July) through which police and trading standards officers have targeted over 3,000 potential problem premises that break the law by selling alcohol to under-18s. These national campaigns make use of tough sanctions available under newly commenced legislation to prosecute the premises licence-holder, where there are persistent sales of alcohol to children. Prior to this, we carried out four national Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaigns (AMECs) between 2004 and 2006.
	As a consequence of these test-purchase campaigns, retailers have strengthened their procedures and training of staff in relation to alcohol sales. Most retailers have now adopted the 'Challenge 21' policy, whereby anyone appearing to be under 21 is asked to produce a valid form of identification prior to any sale of alcohol. Test-purchase failure rates have dropped accordingly, indicating that it is increasingly difficult for under-18s to purchase alcohol illegally. During AMEC one in 2004, the overall test-purchase failure rate was 50 per cent. By AMEC four in the summer of 2006, it had reached 29 per cent. and 21 per cent. for the on- and off-licence trade respectively, and 18 per cent. for supermarkets. In addition, the Licensing Act 2003 also increased penalties for selling alcohol to children with the maximum fine increasing to £5,000 on conviction, and the possibility for courts to suspend or order forfeit of personal licences on a first offence as opposed to a second conviction, as was previously the case.

Camping Sites: Sanitation

John Butterfill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she has taken to ensure that the use of land in Parliament Square as a camp site complies with Section 269 of the Public Health Act 1936; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have taken no action to ensure the use of land in Parliament square as a campsite complies with section 269 of the Public Health Act 1936.

Departments: Manpower

Richard Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people are employed in the Cabinet Office in  (a) headcount and  (b) full-time equivalent.

Gillian Merron: As at 30 June 2007, Cabinet Office had  (a) 1,541 staff employed in headcount and  (b) 1,502.53 employed as full-time equivalent.

Antisocial Behaviour: Poole

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many penalty notices for disorder have been given in Poole in the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) Scheme was introduced to all police forces in England and Wales in 2004, under provisions in the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.
	The Office for Criminal Justice Reform collects data on PNDs at police force area level only; more detailed information on the number of PNDs issued by police division is held on local police force databases.
	Poole is part of Dorset police force area. Data shows that the number of PNDs issued by Dorset constabulary was 516 in 2004, 1,381 in 2005 and 2,262 in 2006 (provisional).

Fixed Penalties: Yorkshire and Humberside

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many fixed penalty notices were issued by West Yorkshire Police in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006; how many of those notices have been paid; how many have been sent to be determined in court; and how many have remained unanswered.

Maria Eagle: The information collected by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform identifies the number of motoring offences fixed penalty notices issued by result at police force area level. Data are collected on the disposal, i.e. paid, fine registration certificate issued etc.). However, because of the time taken for the procedures for payment to be enforced, the data are collected approximately nine months later than the period of issue.
	2005 data will be available in the 2006 publication "Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales, Supplementary tables" which is expected to be published in 2008. 2006 data will be in the 2009 publication.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many inmates of prisons in England and Wales were foreign nationals in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Figures showing the numbers of foreign national prisoners held in prison establishments in England and Wales can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Foreign national prisoners held in prisons in England and Wales June 20020-06 
			   Foreign national prisoners  British nationals  Not recorded  All prisoners 
			 2002 7,719 62,553 946 71,218 
			 2003 8,728 62,417 1,142 72,286 
			 2004 8,941 64,379 1,168 74,488 
			 2005 9,651 65,670 869 76,190 
			 2006 10,879 66,160 944 77,982 
			 2007 (April) 11,231 68,124 905 80,261 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Capital Gains Tax

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will  (a) update the estimates given for the cost of capital gains tax business paper relief in 2001-02 and 2002-03 in his Tax Ready Reckoner November 2002 and  (b) give an estimate for the years from 2003-04 to 2007-08.

Jane Kennedy: The estimates of the cost of the relief as published in the Tax Ready Reckoners and in table A3.1 of Financial Statement and Budget Reports are for business and non-business assets combined. Taper relief is dependent upon the volume of disposals, which in turn is driven by changes in asset prices, particularly share prices. The movement between 2001-02 and 2002-03 was also influenced by the maturing of business asset taper relief.
	The latest estimates of the Exchequer impact of taper relief for 2001-02 to 2006-07 are as follows.
	
		
			   Estimated cost (£ million) 
			 2001-02 550 
			 2002-03 3,500 
			 2003-04 2,750 
			 2004-05 3,500 
			 2005-06 4,620 
			 2006-07 6,020 
		
	
	Figures for 2005-06 and 2006-07are available in the 'Estimated costs of the principal tax expenditure and structural reliefs' table at http//www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/table1-5.pdf. Figures for 2007-08 are not available.
	The estimated costs are not the same as the yield from abolition of taper relief as they do not take into account any behavioural changes which would occur if taper relief was abolished.

Departments: Agencies

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Department paid in fees to recruitment agencies for  (a) temporary and  (b) permanent staff in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: As explained in the answer given by the then Financial Secretary (John Healey) on 28 June 2007,  Official Report, column 873W, the fees paid to recruitment agencies for the Chancellor's Department could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information on spending on recruitment consultancy is not held in a format whereby it can be separated out from other external management consultancy, or from the cost of agency staff.

Departments: Flint Bishop Solicitors

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have made payments to Flint Bishop Solicitors since 1997.

Angela Eagle: In 2001 HM Customs and Excise made two payments totalling £15,749, to Flint Bishop Solicitors, recorded under their former name of Flint Bishop and Barnett. HM Customs and Excise merged with the Inland Revenue in 2005 to form HM Revenue and Customs.
	No other Chancellor's departments or their agencies have found any records of payments to Flint Bishop Solicitors within the last five years. Changes in accounting systems mean that a positive confirmation for all bodies over the whole period since 1997 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Futurebuilders Fund

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which projects dealing with childrens'  (a) physical and  (b) mental health have received Futurebuilders funding; and how much was received by each.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	A total of £18,787,579 Futurebuilder investments in grant and loan finance have been made in 21 projects specifically dealing with children's physical and mental health. These are listed in the following table:
	
		
			   £ 
			  (a) Children's physical and mental health  
			 Chiltern Centre for Disabled Children 14,000 
			 Real Life Parenting 16,000 
			 Nottingham Regional Society for Adults and Children with Autism 18,000 
			 National Blind Children's Society 20,000 
			 Makaton 513,000 
			 British Institute for Brain Injured Children (BIBIC) 732,000 
			 Bayis Sheli 3,200,000 
			 TreeHouse 5,209,357 
			 Bangladeshi Parents and Carers Association 1,209,000 
			 First Step Opportunity Group 462,000 
			 Springboard Opportunity Group 130,900 
			 Total 11,524,257 
			   
			  (b) Children's mental health  
			 Headliners (formerly Children's Express) 18,237 
			 Pupil Parent Partnership 20,000 
			 COASTS 58,335 
			 Med Theatre 78,750 
			 Bubble Theatre 104,000 
			 Antidote 155,000 
			 CHeCC (Cross-Herts Community Counselling) 385,000 
			 St. Christopher's Fellowship 1,473,000 
			 Place2Be 2,718,000 
			 The Lighthouse Group 2,253,000 
			 Total 7,263,322

Personal Income: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average wage for  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time (i) male and (ii) female employee is; and what the average household income for working age households was in City of York council area in (A) cash and (B) real terms in 2006.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 July 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average wage for (a) full-time and (b) part-time (i) male and (ii) female employee is and what the average household income for working age households was in City of York council area in (A) cash and (B) real terms in 2006. (151612)
	Levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all full-time and part-time employees on adult rates of pay, whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
	I attach a table showing the mean and median Gross Weekly Earnings for all full-time and part-time employees in the city of York Unitary authority, for the year 2006.
	Estimates of average household income for working age households by council area are not available. Household income statistics for all households in the UK, based on the Family Resources Survey, are produced by the Department for Work and Pensions.
	
		
			  Gross weekly pay for employee jobs( a)  by place of work : 2006—City of York Unitary Authority 
			  £ 
			   Full-time employees  Full-time male  Full-time female  Part-time employees  Part-time male  Part-time female 
			 Median 455 *491 *391 *134 (b)x *145 
			 Mean 529 *578 444 *167 **148 *174 
			 (a) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (b) Figure not published for reasons of quality. Guide to quality:  The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the duality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of £200 with a CV of 5 per cent. (10), we would expect the population average to be within the range £180 to £220. Key: CV <= 5 per cent. * CV> 5 per cent. and <= 10 per cent. ** CV> 10 per cent. and<=20 per cent. x CV>20 per cent.  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Public Expenditure

Alistair Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons are for the timing of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: In July 2005, the Government announced its decision that, with the start of the next spending review period coming a decade after the first Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), the time was right for a second CSR. In the context of a rapidly changing world, the CSR would undertake a fundamental examination of the balance and pattern of public expenditure, and identify the investment and reforms necessary to equip the UK for the decade ahead. The Government announced that departments budgets for 2007-08 would be unaltered from those previously announced and that the next CSR would conclude in 2007, setting departments budgets for the years 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11. As announced at Budget 2007, the CSR will conclude by autumn 2007, at which point the Government will set out the final conclusions of the CSR.

Departments: Visits Abroad

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many overseas visits were made by  (a) officials and  (b) Ministers within his responsibility, and at what cost, in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.

Disabled: Children

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps have been taken to promote inter-departmental working to help disabled children and their families following the former Prime Minister's overview, Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People, with particular reference to measures to help unemployed parents of disabled children who are seeking work; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: In January 2005, the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit published their report, 'Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People'. The report set out the Government's vision and made recommendations relating to disabled children, young people making the transition to adulthood, employment and independent living.
	The Office for Disability Issues was established in December 2005 and is working across Government to improve outcomes for disabled people, including through a ministerial group and the board of management, both of which bring together a range of Departments to oversee delivery of the Government's strategy.
	The chapter of the Life Chances report which considered employment did not make any specific recommendations relating to parents with disabled children. However, proposals set out in the July 2007 Green Paper, 'In Work, Better Off' are intended to make better use of the new deal approach for people who claim benefit as unemployed and are actively seeking work but who face significant barriers to finding work, including caring responsibilities at home.
	More recently, the joint HMT/DfES children and young people's review, 'Aiming High for Disabled Children: Better Support for Families', published in May 2007, looked at how services can provide greater support for families with disabled children. The report's findings are feeding into the comprehensive spending review and will be implemented through a cross-Government framework.

Employment Schemes

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job applicants have undertaken a 15 day work trial since the inception of the trial programme; and how many of these have resulted in the applicant taking the position.

James Plaskitt: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 24 July 2007:
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your question about the number of job applicants undertaking a work trial and the number of these resulting in the applicant taking the position since the inception of the work trial programme. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Work trials were first introduced in 1989, since when they have formed part of an overall and constantly evolving package of measures to assist employers meet their recruitment needs. Until 2000 we did not routinely capture detailed management information on work trials. Since then, we have recorded information on the number of customers undertaking a work trial, but not the number of people confirmed permanently in the job. Our success in helping people into work is measured in terms of the number of people who leave benefit and move into work, but this is not broken down specifically to identify those securing a job through the help of a work trial.
	The table below shows the number of work trial starts since April 2000.
	
		
			  April to March each year:  Work trial starts 
			 2000-01 6,580 
			 2001-02 4,390 
			 2002-03 3,340 
			 2003-04 2,240 
			 2004-05 1,700 
			 2005-06 2,040 
			 2006-07 3,640 
		
	
	Although we do not keep data on the number of people confirmed in post following a work trial, internal research suggests that up to 50% of those people who secured the job would not have done so without the help of a work trial.
	I hope this is helpful

Housing Benefit

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the introduction of the local housing allowance; and what assessment he has made of the impact of its introduction on residents in rural areas.

James Plaskitt: Local housing allowance (LHA) will be introduced nationally from the 7 April 2008 and the preparation for its implementation is under way in all local authorities. It has been extensively evaluated in nine pathfinder areas and tested for operational readiness in a further nine. These local authorities were chosen to provide a range of different housing markets, geographical factors and labour markets.
	One of the pathfinders, Teignbridge, is largely a rural area. As in the other eight evaluated LHA pathfinder areas, the implementation and delivery in Teignbridge was considered successful and the impact of the local housing allowance is covered in the local housing allowance evaluation publications.

Incapacity Benefit: Mentally Ill

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of people claiming incapacity benefit did so due to mental and behavioural disorders in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance (IB/SDA) claimants with a mental and behavioural disorder, Great Britain 
			  As at November:  Percentage 
			 1997 27.1 
			 1998 29.1 
			 1999 31.0 
			 2000 32.7 
			 2001 34.2 
			 2002 35.7 
			 2003 37.2 
			 2004 38.5 
			 2005 39.4 
			 2006 40.6 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures from 1999 onwards are rounded to the nearest 10. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. Caseload figures for 1997 and 1998 are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Caseloads for 1997 and 1998 have been produced using 5 per cent. data and have been rated up in accordance with the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. IB/SDA totals. 4. 1997 and 1998 figures are from a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 5. From 6 April 2001, no new claims to SDA were accepted. 6. Figures include credits only cases.  Source: 1. DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, 1999 onwards. 2. Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent sample, 1997 and 1998.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received jobseeker's allowance in the last 12 months.

James Plaskitt: The Information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Jobseeker's allowance claimants, Great Britain June 2006 to May 2007 
			   Number 
			 June 2006 927,300 
			 July 2006 927,400 
			 August 2006 925,800 
			 September 2006 929,100 
			 October 2006 927,400 
			 November 2006 920,000 
			 December 2006 912,300 
			 January 2007 897,000 
			 February 2007 894,200 
			 March 2007 880,000 
			 April 2007 864,400 
			 May 2007 855,300 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Figures are taken from the second Thursday of each month.  Source: Count of unemployment-benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems (including clerically held cases).

Adoption

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many children in each local authority in England were  (a) considered and  (b) successfully placed for adoption in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06.
	(2)  how many children in the age groups corresponding most closely to the age group  (a) under 12 months,  (b) one to four years,  (c) five to nine years,  (d) 10 to 14 years and  (e) 15 to 18 years registered with Isle of Wight council were adopted in the last period for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: Information on the number of children in each local authority in England who were considered for adoption is not collected centrally by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).
	Information on the number of children in each local authority in England who were placed for adoption in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06 has been placed in the House Library. The data is also available in table 4 of the Statistical Volume on Children Looked After By Local Authorities Year Ending 31 March 2006 on my Department's website at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000721/TablesfinalRENAMED.xls
	The number of children looked after by the Isle of Wight local authority who were adopted in the year ending 31 March 2006, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Children looked after who were adopted in the year ending 31 March 2006( 1,2,3) , England 
			  Number 
			Age at adoption 
			   All children  Under 1  1 to 4  5 to 9  10 to 15  16 and over 
			 Children adopted in England 3,700 190 2,300 940 180 20 
			 Children adopted in the Isle of Wight 10 * * * 0 0 
			 1. Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements. 2. Figures are derived from the SSDA903 return.  3. To maintain the confidentiality of each individual child, data at national level are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 or to the nearest 10 otherwise. Data at local authority level are rounded to the nearest 5. Where the number was 5 or less (other than 0) this has been suppressed and replaced with an asterisk '*'.

Classroom Assistants

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what formal training is required for a person to obtain a post as a classroom assistant specifically working with special educational needs pupils.

Jim Knight: The employment and deployment of support staff, together with any training required in order to take up a post, is a matter for schools or local authorities to determine as the employer.
	Support staffs, including teaching assistants, play an important role in schools, often working closely with pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities. In recognition of this, the Training and Development Agency for Schools (IDA), which has responsibility for the training and development of the whole school workforce, has developed national occupational standards for teaching/classroom assistants. These contain elements relevant to working with pupils with SEN or particular educational needs. National Vocational Qualifications at level 2 and 3 are based on these standards.
	In addition, the TDA has also developed induction training materials for teaching assistants and introductory training materials for other support staff working in primary and secondary schools. Both sets of materials contain discrete modules covering inclusion, SEN and disabilities.
	The professional standards for higher level teaching assistants (HLTAs), for which the IDA is also responsible, require HLTAs to know how to support learners in accessing the curriculum, in accordance with the SEN code of practice.
	All schools can use their own budget to fund the training and development of their staff. They also receive a school development grant which they are able to use to support improvements in any aspect of teaching and learning. This can include sending teaching assistants on specialised training courses. Local authorities may retain a proportion of this grant, in certain circumstances, to provide specific training and development in relation to SEN and disabilities. The TDA also provides local authorities with grant funding to support candidates through the HTLA training and assessment process.

Departments: Contracts

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which of his Department's contracts have been rewritten since 27 June; and what estimate he has made of the resulting cost.

Edward Balls: The Department does not maintain a central record of all contracts that have or are about to be awarded. Contracts which are in the process of being awarded will have the name of the contracting authority changed from the Department for Education and Skills to the relevant new departmental title at little cost.

Digital Versatile Disks

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on the Y Touring Group's DVD production, Every Breath; and how many DVDs are being produced.

Jim Knight: The Department is working with the Y Touring Group, through the Central Office of Information, to produce a DVD version of their Every Breath play to be used as a teaching resource in schools. A total budget of £61,000 has been allocated to this project. An initial production run of approximately 2,000 DVDs is planned. These will be made available to schools via the Online Publication System. The level of demand will be monitored and stock managed accordingly.

Education and Skills Bill

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department will be the lead Department on the forthcoming Education and Skills Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Education and Skills Bill will be a joint bill between the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. The bill will include provisions to raise to 18 the minimum age at which young people can leave education or training, and to implement recommendations of the recent Leitch review of skills. The Department will be the lead Department on the Bill, but I will be working closely with my ministerial colleagues in DIUS.

Primary Education

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government have taken to promote the teaching of foreign languages, music or art at primary school level.

Jim Knight: One of the three overarching objectives in the National Languages Strategy, published in 2002, was an entitlement that by 2010 all 7 to 11-year-old pupils will be able to learn a language at least in part in class time. Already some 70 per cent. of schools are providing primary languages within class time, so are making excellent progress towards this goal. We have backed this by action on a range of fronts including: training over 2,000 primary teachers with a languages specialism and aiming to train 6,000 by 2010; committing £49 million over 2006-07 and 2007-08 to support the introduction of primary languages; developing new schemes of work for French, German and Spanish; and setting up the Primary Languages Training Zone, an interactive website for teachers, school leaders and trainers involved in the delivery of primary languages.
	In October 2006, we commissioned a languages review, which was chaired by Lord Bearing and which reported in March 2007. We have accepted Lord Dearing's recommendation that languages should become a compulsory part of the primary curriculum when it is next reviewed. This will mean that all pupils will learn languages for seven years. We hope that learning languages earlier will inspire children with a love of languages and motivate them to continue learning languages post-14.
	Music and Art and Design are compulsory National Curriculum subjects for all five to 14-year-olds. To begin to realise our aim that every primary pupil who wants to should have an opportunity to learn a musical instrument the Government have invested £30 million in primary instrumental and vocal tuition over the last two years. We are putting a further £10 million this year into a national singing programme aiming to make singing an integral part of every child's school day. The Government are investing £36.5 million this year in the creative partnerships programme which promotes schools working with creative artists.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the average capital cost per pupil of  (a) an academy and  (b) a local education authority controlled state secondary school; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The average capital cost per pupil of an Academy is £20,400. This figure has been calculated by reference to the actual or estimated capital cost of establishing the first 91 academies in relation to their pupil capacity.
	Comparable figures for maintained secondary schools constructed in recent years are unavailable centrally. But a typical cost per pupil for construction of a 1,000-pupil maintained secondary would be in the range of £18,750 to £22,900 per pupil, excluding site acquisition costs.
	There are considerable variations in building costs according to region and the nature of sites.

Schools: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 119W, on schools: Chelmsford, for what reasons he did not provide the requested figures for the Chelmsford borough council area; and if he will do so.

Jim Knight: Figures were requested for Chelmsford local authority area and because Chelmsford is not a local education authority area the reply provided information for Essex local authority area. I apologise that this was not made clear. Figures for Chelmsford district council are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  All schools: number (headcount) of pupils( 1) , as at January 2007 (provisional) ,  Chelmsford district council area 
			   Headcount of pupils 
			 Maintained Nursery 291 
			 Maintained Primary 12,351 
			 Maintained Secondary 13,131 
			 Maintained Special 450 
			 Non-Maintained Special (2)— 
			 Pupil Referral Units (2)— 
			 Independent Schools 1,954 
			 City Technology Colleges and Academies (2)— 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils. (2) Not applicable, no schools of this type  Source: School Census

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance is given by his Department on the fitting of sprinklers in schools.

Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families has advised all local authorities and fire brigades that we expect new schools to be fitted with sprinkler systems in future. However, the decision as to whether or not to install sprinkler systems will be based on a risk analysis and there may be a few cases where new schools are at a low risk of fire and where sprinklers would not represent good value for money. The risk analysis and cost benefit analysis tools we have recently published to help clients decide whether or not to install sprinkler systems in schools can also be used to determine whether or not an existing school should have sprinklers fitted, as part of a refurbishment project.
	In the autumn we will be publishing a standard specification for Sprinkler Systems in schools in our Standard Specifications Layouts and Designs series of guidance documents. Also, in August, we will be publishing the new Building Bulletin 100 Designing and Managing against the Risk of Fire in Schools which will be the normal means of compliance with Building Regulations Part B. This will include comprehensive guidance on when to install sprinkler systems in schools.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have been funded via the private finance initiative in the last five years, broken down by local education authority area.

Jim Knight: Since April 2001, 457 schools have been funded via the private finance initiative. The following table gives a break down by local authority area.
	
		
			  LEA name  Project name  Number schools 
			 Barking and Dagenham Barking and Dagenham—Two Schools 2 
			 Barnsley Barnsley—Thirteen schools 13 
			 Bedfordshire Mid-Bedfordshire Schools Upper Schools Project 2 
			 Bexley Bexley—Three Schools 3 
			 Birmingham Birmingham 2—Twelve Schools 12 
			 Bolton Bolton—Castle Hill School 1 
			 Bradford BSF Pathfinder/Wave 1 3 
			 Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove—four schools 4 
			 Bristol Bristol—Grouped Schools Project (Phase 1A) 4 
			 Bristol BSF Pathfinder/Wave 1 4 
			 Calderdale Calderdale—Grouped Schools Project 5 
			 Camden Camden—Haverstock School 1 
			 Cheshire Cheshire—Ellesmere Port and Neston Schools 6 
			 Cornwall Cornwall 2—Truro schools 17 
			 Coventry Coventry—Caludon Castle School 1 
			 Croydon Croydon—Ashburton School 1 
			 Darlington Darlington—Five Schools Project 4 
			 Derby Derby—Grouped Schools 5 
			 Derbyshire Derbyshire 1—Grouped Schools PFI Project 2 
			 Derbyshire Derbyshire 2—Long Eaton and Newbold Replacement Schools Project 2 
			 Devon Devon—Six Schools Project 6 
			 Doncaster Doncaster—Two schools 2 
			 Dudley Dudley 2—Paragon Project 2 
			 Ealing Ealing 1—Ealing Schools Project 4 
			 Eating Ealing 2—Three schools 3 
			 Enfield Enfield—Joint Schools Project 3 
			 Essex Essex 2—NDS—Tendring Schools 12 
			 Essex Essex 3—Clacton-on-Sea Education Project 3 
			 Gateshead Gateshead—Group of Schools 7 
			 Harrow Harrow—Special Schools PFI 3 
			 Havering Havering—Frances Bardsley School 1 
			 Herefordshire Herefordshire—Whitecross High School 1 
			 Kent Kent—Six schools (including Hugh Christie Technology College) 6 
			 Kent Kent—Swanscombe Schools 2 
			 Kirklees Kirklees 2—Special Schools Reorganisation 4 
			 Lambeth Lambeth—Lilian Baylis School and Resource Centre 1 
			 Lambeth Lambeth ICT—Connected Learning Project 1 
			 Lancashire BSF Wave 1 10 
			 Leeds BSF Wave 1 5 
			 Leeds Leeds 1—7 Schools 7 
			 Leeds Leeds 2—Ten Primary Schools 10 
			 Leeds Leeds 3 and 4—Secondary and Post 16 PFI Project 6 
			 Leicester City BSF Wave 1 6 
			 Lewisharn Lewisham—Grouped Schools Modernisation (PFI) Project 7 
			 Lincolnshire Lincolnshire—Seven Schools Project 7 
			 Liverpool Liverpool—Grouped Schools Project 18 
			 Liverpool Liverpool—Speke/Garston Lifelong Learning Centre 1 
			 Manchester Manchester 2—Wright Robinson Sports College 1 
			 Merton Merton—Age of Transfer 6 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne BSF Wave 1 3 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle 1—Six schools 6 
			 Newham Newham—Joint Schools Project 1 
			 Norfolk Norfolk 2—Norwich Area Grouped Schools PFi Project 12 
			 North Tyneside North Tyneside—Four schools project 4 
			 Northamptonshire Northamptonshire 1—Wooldale Centre for Learning 1 
			 Northamptonshire Northamptonshire 2—Northampton Review 41 
			 Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire 1—East Leake Schools 2 
			 Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire 2—Bassetlaw Phases 1 and 2 8 
			 Oldham Oldham—Grouped Schools 2 
			 Peterborough Peterborough—Secondary Schools Scheme 3 
			 Plymouth Plymouth 1and 2-Whitleigh Community Campus and Replacement Primaries 9 
			 Redbridge Redbridge—Oaks Park School 1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Redcar and Cleveland—Grouped schools 5 
			 Richmond upon Thames Richmond upon Thames—Primary Schools 6 
			 Rochdale Rochdale—Aiming High 4 
			 Rotherham Rotherham—Grouped Schools 15 
			 Salford Salford 1—Special Schools Project 3 
			 Salford Salford 2—High Schools PFI Project 3 
			 Sandwell Sandwell—Five Schools PFI Project 5 
			 Sheffield BSF Pathfinder/Wave 1 3 
			 Sheffield Sheffield Schools Phase 2 2 
			 Sheffield Sheffield Schools Phase 3 4 
			 Slough Slough—Three schools 3 
			 Solihull BSF Wave 1 3 
			 South Tyneside South Tyneside—Boldon High School 1 
			 Southampton Southampton—Three Secondary Schools 3 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Stockton on Tees—Community Campus at Ingleby Barwick 2 
			 Sunderland Sunderland—Sandhill View School 1 
			 Swindon Swindon—North Swindon Schools PFI 7 
			 Tameside Tameside—Hattersley Schools 3 
			 Telford and Wrekin Telford and Wrekin—Hadley Learning Community Incorporating Jigsaw 3 
			 Tower Hamlets Tower Hamlets—Grouped Schools 25 
			 Tower Hamlets Tower Hamlets—Mulberry School 1 
			 Walsall Walsall—St. Thomas More VA School 1 
			 Waltham Forest BSF Wave 1 2 
			 Waltham Forest Waltham Forest 2—Grouped Schools Project 8 
			 West Sussex West Sussex—Crawley schools scheme 3 
			 Worcestershire Worcestershire—Bromsgrove Schools 7 
			 York York—Four schools 4 
			 Total schools — 457 
		
	
	This is the most up-to-date information that the Department holds, but there may be more current information held at LA level.

Apprentices: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many apprenticeship places there are for 16 and 17 year olds in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex; and what plans he has for the provision of such places in the future.

David Lammy: (i) The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts for 16 to 18-year-olds in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex in 2005-06.
	
		
			   Eastbourne  East Sussex 
			 Apprenticeship starts for 16 to 18-year-olds 130 560 
			 Advanced apprenticeship starts for 16 to 18-year-olds 40 170 
			  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Work Based Learning (WBL) Individualised Learner Record (ILR) 
		
	
	(ii) We want to continue the expansion of apprenticeships so that by 2013 every suitably qualified young person will be able to take up a place on the programme.
	We are working with the LSC to promote apprenticeships to employers of all sizes and so increase their take up. Many employers are already on board with 130,000 offering apprenticeships in England with over 180 apprenticeships available across more than 80 industry sectors.
	We have increased the completion rate to 59 per cent. and rising—up from only 24 per cent. five years ago. We plan to increase this further in the next three years to match that of other top competitors. The Government are working with the LSC and key partners to deliver provider incentives; foster provider collaboration; improve staff training; and develop with Sector Skills Councils guidance for individual sectors.
	Diplomas will also provide clear progression routes into apprenticeships and, indeed, contain apprenticeship components within their content where specified by the Diploma Development Partnerships.
	We are also building stronger links with higher education to ensure that apprentices who have the ambition and capacity to do so can enter higher education.

Higher Education: Finance

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of universities with a  (a) financial deficit,  (b) diminishing budget surplus and  (c) risk of insolvency.

Bill Rammell: There are no universities at imminent risk of insolvency, although six institutions were judged by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to be "at higher risk" in March 2007 and are being supported by the council. Higher education Institutions will also be able to draw on new funding streams we have introduced such as income from variable tuition fees and voluntary giving to strengthen their financial position, and the number of institutions with historical cost deficits is forecast to fall from 14 per cent. now to 5 per cent. in 2010.

Higher Education: Finance

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what discussions his Department and its predecessor have held with university representatives or vice chancellors on raising university tuition fees.

Bill Rammell: Whenever this issue has been raised either by university representatives, vice-chancellors or student unions we have consistently said that before any changes could even be considered there will be an independent commission in 2009 which will examine the evidence from the first three years of the new fees regime, and which will report directly to Parliament. That remains the case. Draft terms of reference for the commission were published in January 2004. It would premature to speculate now about what the commission might recommend or indeed whether Parliament would agree with any recommendations.

Angola: Democracy

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the attitude of the government of Angola towards  (a) a free press,  (b) unbiased judiciary,  (c) freedom for opposition groups to operate without harassment and  (d) institutionalised corruption; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: In Angola there is an independent press and a few radio stations that are free to voice criticism of the Government. However, in the provinces the Government-run media largely dominates media coverage. There is only one independent nationwide broadcaster, Radio Vorgan (run by the main opposition party, União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola (UNITA).
	The Government of Angola is taking measures to reform the judiciary and associated legislation, much of which pre-dates the civil war, which ended in 2002. Our embassy in Luanda has sponsored three projects in conjunction with the Bar Association of Angola to assist in the development of the judiciary. We welcome the Government's introduction of a new press law, which is currently in preparation and will provide more scope for independent reporting. Both the Constitutional Law and the Penal Code are also under review.
	There is complex legislation relating to the registration of political parties which is rigorously enforced. There are 12 opposition parties represented in Parliament. The UNITA congress is currently under way in Luanda and has received coverage in the independent and Government-run media. Representatives of other smaller political parties and members of the Diplomatic Corps have also attended the congress. We welcome the Government's announcement that legislative and presidential elections will be held in 2008 and 2009 respectively and continue to monitor the political landscape closely.
	The Government of Angola have taken several steps to improve transparency in public financial management. Internationally qualified auditors conduct rigorous cost and fiscal audits for all oil companies, including the national oil company, Sonangol. A new procurement law is being drafted. A Court of Auditors was created in 2001, which helps to review and audit public expenditure allocations and has handed down embezzlement sentences. However, much still needs to be done, not only on transparency of public financial management, but also on strengthening Government accountability to the people. We continue to encourage the Government of Angola to sign up to the principles of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Departments: Visits Abroad

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many overseas visits were made by  (a) officials and  (b) Ministers within his responsibility, and at what cost, in each year since 1997.

Jim Murphy: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the "Civil Service Management Code", the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers".

Entry Clearances: Health Professions

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many medical students from non-EEA countries applied for visas to complete training in the UK in each of the last five years; how many were accepted; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Subject to satisfying the relevant paragraph of the immigration rules, overseas qualified medical personnel can enter the UK in either the postgraduate doctor, PLAB test (Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board Test), or clinical attachment categories. We do not distinguish between undergraduate and graduate students.
	Applications recorded in each category are:
	
		
			   Received  Issued  Refused 
			  2006
			 Clinical Attachment 873 111 72 
			 Nurses—Supervised Practice 1,136 695 393 
			 PLAB Test 758 698 83 
			 Post Graduate Dentist 7 7 1 
			 Post Graduate Doctor 638 589 51 
			 Post Graduate GP 4 2 2 
			 Student Nurse 1,305 840 600 
			 
			  2005
			 Clinical Attachment 304 284 13 
			 Nurses—Supervised Practice 4 0 0 
			 PLAB Test 581 502 41 
			 Post Graduate Dentist 20 17 0 
			 Post Graduate Doctor 1,423 1,352 44 
			 Post Graduate GP 1 1 0 
			 Student Nurse 5,128 3,554 1,518 
			 
			  2004
			 PLAB Test 1 0 1 
			 Post Graduate Dentist 11 10 0 
			 Post Graduate Doctor 1,079 1,058 12 
			 Student Nurse 7,468 5,444 1,904 
			 
			  2003
			 Post Graduate Dentist 12 12 0 
			 Post Graduate Doctor 989 970 6 
			 Student Nurse 4,614 3,977 605 
			 
			  2002
			 Post Graduate Dentist 23 20 0 
			 Post Graduate Doctor 847 848 2 
			 Student Nurse 1,583 1,410 169 
		
	
	Prior to 2005 data was not kept on all categories. These statistics have not been published and should be used for information purposes only.
	The total number of applications issued and refused may not equal the number of applications received due to applications being withdrawn or lapsed. Additionally, applications can be carried forward from one year to the next before being resolved, for example if they have been referred to the Home Office for a decision or deferred for further inquiries.